Nikkan Sports: Rakuten Agrees with Andruw Jones

Nikkan Sports is reporting that the Rakuten Golden Eagles have agreed to a deal with a bari bari Major Leaguer, veteran Andruw Jones. Nikkan Sports estimates the value of the deal at JPY 300m ($3.5m or s0) including signing bonus, base salary, and performance bonuses. An official announcement is expected after Jones takes a physical.

Nikkan Sports is the only publication that has this news right now, but it’s plausible. Rakuten released all their foreign position players after the season and was said to want to make a splash this offseason. They had been rumored to have interest in Manny Ramirez as well.

Whoa! I had nascent hopes the Rays might snag him on the cheap in January or February, but obviously this is a financial move that makes sense for him. What are the odds the Eagles give him full-time PA?